A judge will on Monday decide how much of pop legend Paul McCartney's fortune should go to his estranged wife Heather Mills, finally bringing to an end an acrimonious battle between the pair.

They will then be forced to decide whether any details of their divorce agreement are made public, with speculation rampant over how much of his reputed £825-million (€1.1-billion, $1.7-billion) fortune the former Beatle will be forced to hand over.

Even if either of the two, or both, want to keep details of the settlement a secret, though, the deal could be made public if one of them decides to appeal Monday's judgment.

The musician (65) married 40-year-old Mills, a former model turned charity campaigner, in 2002, four years after his first wife, Linda, died from breast cancer.

They announced an "amicable" split in May 2006, but their dealings since have been anything but friendly.

A report in the Evening Standard on Friday said the clashing couple had agreed on a £25-million settlement, citing an anonymous source.

It is unclear if the ruling includes provision for the couple's daughter Beatrice, who was born in 2003, the Evening Standard report added, saying that a summary of the judgment is expected to be made public.

Some reports have speculated, however, that the deal could be the highest divorce settlement in British history, outstripping the £48-million businessman John Charman was told to pay his former wife last year.

AFP